EA announces that they are adding a free-to-play option to Star Wars: The Old Republic this fall, a move many have been expecting for the Star Wars MMORPG, which has not exactly being WoWing everyone with its subscription model. Word is: "This option will give players access to each of the eight iconic Star Wars character class storylines, all the way up to level 50, with certain restrictions*. Unlimited game access, including new higher-level game content and new features will be made available through individual purchases or through a subscription option." Here's more:

Starting this fall, there will be two different ways to play Star Wars: The Old Republic:

Subscription – A service designed for players who want unrestricted access to all the game features via ongoing subscription or by redeeming a Game Time Card. In addition to gaining access to all game content as our current subscribers do now, Subscribers will receive ongoing monthly grants of Cartel Coins**, the new virtual currency that will be introduced later this fall. Cartel Coins can be used to purchase valuable items including customizable gear and convenience features that will enhance the game play experience.

Free-to-Play –The first 50 levels will be free-to-play, with some restrictions on access to new content and advanced player features. Some restrictions can be “unlocked” with Cartel Coins.

As the first step towards adding the new Free-to-Play option this fall, in August at retail Star Wars: The Old Republic will go on sale for $14.99 USD, including one-month of free subscription.

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Veterator wrote on Jul 31, 2012, 20:38:I like class based games when they are done well. I think WoW did a good job with it's classes, they have some overlap, enough that you can pick the class which will give you the alternate play styles you want in most cases.

And I don't care much for COMPLETE sandbox MMOs because you end up too scattered and unfocused as a player base. There's no easy way to focus people over all into an effort without some kind of incentive/story/quest/progression line to follow. However what disappoints me about modern MMOs is that they have not evolved into allowing players to truly modify the world. Maybe not to the extent of Minecraft where you could empty the world of blocks if you wanted, but that you could sculpt it somewhat. And create new lanes of travel with a concerted effort amongst the player base. Not just a single guild, but double digit percentages of your player base per server working toward it.

But it would be interesting if you could wipe out an enemy species or race, kill a forest, create a lake, divert a river to flood a valley or cut off water supply to an area. You would actually have to protect yourself, your domain, and surrounding domains from people trying to do this stuff to you. Beyond fighting in a dungeon or exploring the world if you want it to mean anything to others. Which I believe is the point of an MMO, your actions should impact others. Positively if you're on their side, negatively if you're against their side.....generally.

Believe it or not, this was the original plan for a little-remembered but much hyped festering turd (they abandoned almost all this in favor of MMORPG cookie-cutter) called Horizons.

The original Horizons plan was ambitious -- you could fly, true 3D travel ala City of Heroes. You could build things, and even tunnel and change landscape.

There were a number of normal classes, but there was also a full dragon class. The dragon class was intended, at the endgame, to be an even fight for any 3 of the other classes.

The dragon plan was you would go find or burrow out your lair cave, then actually start stocking up a real dragon hoard. The goal was endgame PvP of dragon vs. Players with normal chars trying to raid and steal the hoard.

In a precursor of SW Galaxies and Eve, the dragon had to be unlocked, and alao had progress timers to stop them from advancing too quickly -- a year was discussed -- and by then you'd be forming your lair and dumping your phat loots into it, and the bigger it was, the more power you had but the more player adventurers would start drooling.

They preserved the dragon as a class, but it was wimpified. No lairs, and your "hoard" was an item grinder you dumped your loot into to build up a special dragon power number, again hardly giving severe advantage according to the old plan.

Also, to add insult to injury, it was grossly cartoonic (unlike early screenshots) and dragons were these fat little puppydogs.

The tale of the feature collapse (and takeover) was legendary, easy to Google.